Seems like just a short time ago we were celebrating Y2K, the new Millennium and buying bottled water and cans of tuna in droves because we were worried that all our computers would crash and the world would shut down and nobody would be able to access any money to check out at the cash register. And nobody even had cell phones then.

Really, this did happen and come on, admit it; even you had an extra case of water, a bottle of booze, and a candle in the garage just in case the lights went out when they sang Auld Lang Syne at midnight in the year 2000.

Which brings to mind, why do they play Auld Lang Syne at midnight every year? Wedwand did some research and discovered this tradition began when Mel Gibson started singing the song in the musical, “The Sound of the Hills of Braveheart”, right before he famously proclaimed, “Alba gu bra!” This loosely translated means, “Man this kilt itches!”

I might have made that up.

Actually, Auld Lang Syne does in fact have Scottish roots as it is based on a 226 year old poem written by a Scotsman named Robert Burns. The opening line, “Should old acquaintance be forgot …” poses a lyrical question as we pass from one year to the next. This leads to the philosophical nature of the song which fundamentally infers to not leave the past behind but look ahead boldly to the future while taking “a cup kindness” to the past and the future.

Nah. Auld Lang is a superb hurler from Scotland that the Chicago Cubs hope to Syne for next year’s team since he is free AND a free agent Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2015 Chicago Cubs.

Which brings to mind, here we are on the brink a new year. 2015. If you are a Cubs fan like me, you’ve been waiting for this year ever since you saw Back To The Future Part II in 1989. In that movie, set partially in the then futuristic year 2015, the Chicago Cubs are depicted as the World Series Champions.

Next year is here!

Maybe, maybe not for the Cubs, but as surely as time keeps on ticking, it WILL be 2015.

Gonna sing me some Huey Lewis when the big ball drops this year. Sing along if you wish. Thanks for reading in 2014. Wedwand appreciates your support!

The nights are longer than the days and the days are shorter than the nights.

This continual waning of the daylight will continue right up until the Winter Solstice which this year happens on December 21, 2014. After that, we’ll be on the highway to where the days are longer and the nights are stronger than moonshine.

Sorry for the gloomy beginning, but as you know, it’s also the cold and flu season. And guess what seems to have come to pay “season’s greetings” to me? Something that vaguely resembles a cold or flu.

Now I diligently got my flu shot this year as I always do, but when I queried my medical practitioner on why I was feeling lousy despite that, he only said, “The shot isn’t effective against THAT flu.”

Ah, so if you survive a season without getting the flu, then the shot worked. But if you don’t, you got THAT flu.

I am drinking tea in droves, throwing back vitamins, juice and herbal remedies too. My next step is, eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog.

But before I made the fire burn and cauldron bubble, I thought I’d try some over the counter remedies first. Problem is, not all over the counter remedies are over the counter. Certain ones, and I presume these are the good ones, are at the pharmacy counter.

However, “at the pharmacy” counter is where all the people are sneezing and hacking while waiting for their medications.

I took a chance on something in the aisle.

Now here’s the weird thing about these cold and flu remedies, almost all of them have this cryptic tag in the corner that says, “LIFT HERE for more drug facts” or “PEEL corner to reveal complete drug facts”.

Problem is, it is impossible for a sick person of even average dexterity to peel back the damn corner and if you are so lucky like I was on my 78th try, there is nothing UNDER the label but white cardboard because the drug facts have stuck to the underside of the label.

Now you would think the “drug facts” under the label are things like, “Don’t drive your bulldozer while taking this medication.” But that is not the case. The hidden “drug facts” are the actual recommended dosage, which means you have to guess how many pills to take.

So if this week’s entry seems scattered, I may have accidentally taken 4 pills every 1 hour because I was unable to get to the “drug facts “ that said 1 pill ever four hours.